Bangkok is riddled with portals into the spirit world as well as mystical mediums adept at channeling news from the parallel realms of past and future. Visit a respected "Doctor Seer" in the shadowed, sacred compounds of Wat Po. Prepare a small offering, plus your date and time of birth, and your life's path will lay revealed. Shake out a bamboo stick fortune while you pray for guidance, receive a splashing of holy water, or meditate on good deeds while a chanting monk ties a charmed string around your wrist for protection.
Later, pay respects at the spirit-possessed Lak Muang Shrine housing Bangkok's "city pillar," a powerful lingam
(stone penis) that guards the metropolis with awesome ferocity. Wish for anything, but be prepared to honor the spirits if your wishes come true.
If you are concerned about virility or fertility (of if you want to see
something completely unexpected) we can take you to visit the hard-to-find Tub
Tim Srine (better known as the "penis shrine"). This unusual little
garden is home to hundreds of "palad kik," or linga with magical properties. You
will see carved penises of every size color and description. Some of them have
penises of their own. In case you find yourself giggling, many local people will
attest to the fact that a pilgrimage to this Garden of Fertility has been
responsible for many pregnancies for parents who had all but given up hope.
Along the way we can stop at the Erawan Shrine, probably the most colorful and
popular place to ask the spirit world for special favors. Those in need of good
fortune light incense and say a prayer at each of the four corners of the
shrine. Why not try it yourself? But be forewarned, if your wish is granted you
are obligated to supply a maiden to dance naked around the shrine three times.
If you like you may also visit an alley marketplace where sacred amulets are traded and sold. As the sun sets, fortune tellers set up shop, ringing the Sanaam Luang parade ground. There, in glimmering candle light, omens and oracles are conjured from palms, physiognomy, facial features, and all manner of obscure and ancient practices passed down from the mists of time.
Practitioners you find here are also adept at unraveling in the hidden magic of
the spelling of your name. You could actually end up being renamed before the
day is through if the name you have been carrying about all of these years is
deemed unlucky. We recommend choosing the oldest seer you can find and you will
probably be astonished by what you are told.
